TEN THINGS THAT TEN DAYS IN THE WILDERNESS TAUGHT ME
In the summer of 2019, I went on a ten-day canoeing trip (also known as the Canadian) with a group of friends in Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. There is no car, a motorboat, a building, or any sort of established civilization within 1,000 square miles in this park. That trip was probably the most demanding and most challenging thing I have ever done in my life, but it was also the most memorable and rewarding experience. The trip consisted of several daily miles of canoeing and portaging (the practice of carrying watercraft overland). Besides teaching me the necessary survival skills, this trip taught me many life lessons that I will never forget. Here are ten of the most important ones:
1. Patience
Patience was, by far, the most important and most valuable lesson I learned on this trip. My patience was taken to its limit in a lot of situations during the journey, from the desperation of having no contact with civilization other than the same small group of people for ten days to mosquitoes crawling up your face while portaging a canoe and not being able to do anything about it. One of the situations where my patience was pushed to my limit was on a very windy day, where we had to canoe through a large lake upwind to get to our planned campsite before dark, and we spent numerous hours paddling through a lake that would have taken us no more than one hour to paddle. This trip taught me about patience because it is incredibly controllable. After all, once you realize that the factors that are making your patience go crazy are not essential or relevant in your life, those problems disappear.
2. Teamwork
Yea, I know this sounds very basic, but this is not the type of teamwork where a teacher assigns a project, and everyone does a little part of it and puts it in the Google Slides 5 minutes before class; this is the type of teamwork that emerges naturally. We had to move in a rush in the mornings during this camping trip to arrive at our campsites before dark. The logistics of the situation were ofter disastrous, but as the days passed, everyone eventually found their niches the trip became more efficient each day. This trip helped me realize that life is a team sport and that to be successful in any area of life, you must surround yourself with people who share similar goals, and that will serve as a tool to you as much as you will serve as a tool for them.
3. Actions matter more than appearances
There was no single mirror or cellphone on this trip, so there was no way to see how we looked. At the beginning of the trip, my main concerns in life were appearances and what people thought of me, and mirrors would usually serve as my measurement of approval. During the trip, where my only reflection tool was the water, I realized that what defines who you are is not your appearance but your actions.
4. There are a lot of paths to a goal
Naturally, we like to plan everything we do, from basic things such as choosing a restaurant or an outfit to more important things such as choosing a career path. Before the trip, I had detailed and organized plans for everything I would do. Still, after participating in this trip where unpredictable variables such as wind pressure would completely change our plans, I realized that trying too hard to stick to a plan is not very beneficial. Of course, you should keep planning, but if plans don’t go your way, don’t stress too much about it. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to.
5. We often take the small things for granted
It is no secret that we are in a very privileged position. Every day we shower, we eat three warm meals, we have a roof over our heads, and we have a warm bed waiting for us after going to school. In the Canadian, things were different. There were no showers, our lunch was a piece of bread and a bite of cold salami, and we slept in wet tents. This was a ten-day trip for us, but sadly, millions of people live in these conditions worldwide, and we do not appreciate what we have. Individually, we cannot solve these issues overnight, but we can take it one step at a time, starting by appreciating what we have.
6. Stepping out of your comfort zone can change your life
We grow by stepping out of our comfort zone. Whether you sign up for a new activity or whether you move to another country, stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary, but it can also shape your future. When I decided to participate in this trip, I knew that it would be one of the hardest things I had ever done and that it was going to be uncomfortable. Still, I also knew that my experiences in the Canadian would contribute to both my physical and mental growth, and it did.
7. It’s never a wrong time to crack a joke
There were several times throughout the trip where everyone was tired, stressed, and wanted to go home. The only things that motivated us to keep going were the goofiness of everyone participating. Making the best out of a situation can really improve your perspective.
8. You know more than you think you do
We rely heavily on Google to answer our questions whenever we are curious about a subject. Ten seconds after finding out the answers to our curiosities, we move on to the next issue, and we do not explore it in depth. I had no access to the internet in the Canadian, so whenever I had a question, I would think about it for an extended period of time. This usually led me to the answer that I would find in Google, but much more in-depth. Sometimes I would also bring up questions and ideas to the group, allowing me to gather different opinions and perspectives on a subject. All of this made me realize how much we can figure out with our knowledge, and although we do not have the answer to specific questions, our expertise in other areas can lead us to any solution we impose ourselves.
9. An experience can teach you more than a book
We have been raised in a society where our intelligence has been where our intelligence is calculated through numbers: grades, test scores, ranks, etc. But we are rarely encouraged to truly appreciate and embark on experiences that will make us grow both academically and personally. Participating in an experience that makes you step out of your comfort zone will truly change how you confront problems and situations in the future.
10. Carpe Diem
Carpe Diem is a Latin expression that means “seize the day.” Horace, a Roman poet, born in the year 65 BC, initially created this expression in Odes, one of his most famous collections of poems. The term has been cited in all sorts of works, from literature to film to music. In this trip, I truly learned to seize the day. Although every day was similar in several ways (food, people, activities), each day presented new challenges and opportunities. Each day, I experienced a different sunset, a different lake, and a different story. And although life does not regularly place us in beautiful lakes where you can see beautiful sunsets every day, each day has so much to offer, and it must be appreciated.
